Since my daughter's training night moved I've not had many chances to venture out to games on Wednesday evenings. However, with half-term in full flow and training suspended, this was a perfect opportunity. The game that caught my eye was a Bedworth Nursing Cup semi-final between Kenilworth Wardens and Coventry Phoenix. A competition that I knew nothing about, plus two teams that I'd not seen play before. The game was to be played at Kenilworth Sporting's ground which I had been to before, over four years previously (Romans March On).
I tried to do some research on both the competition and the clubs but struggled to find much social media on any of them. The Nursing Cup, I do know, has been around a long time and was won last season by Bedworth United Reserves. Wardens last won the trophy in 2022 when they beat RS Sports at The Oval (Bedworth, not Kensington) in the final. They have won the trophy on multiple occasions previously to this, but I wasn't able to find out a lot of detail.
Not even Copilot could get me any reliable information about the previous winners of the trophy.
However, what I did know was that this evening's winners would be set to face the winner of the second semi-final (to be played on Feb 26th), between Brinklow and Shilton.
Phoenix got to this stage by means of a bye followed by a 2-0 defeat of Claverdon. Then, in the quarter-final, they put out Glades 3-2. Wardens also received a bye in the first round. They then beat Polesworth 2-0 and Coventry United u21 1-0.
Both teams play in the Coventry Alliance Premier League. Phoenix are currently in fourth place with 19 points from 12 games. Kenilworth are two places lower, having secured 11 points from their 12 games. They've met twice int he league already. Coventry won 2-1 at home with goals from Blake Kassar and Tyler Morgan. Thys Palmer scored for Wardens. In the reverse fixture Kenilworth exacted revenge with a 2-0 win courtesy of Dan Twigger and Hayden Twycross.
I tried to do some research on both the competition and the clubs but struggled to find much social media on any of them. The Nursing Cup, I do know, has been around a long time and was won last season by Bedworth United Reserves. Wardens last won the trophy in 2022 when they beat RS Sports at The Oval (Bedworth, not Kensington) in the final. They have won the trophy on multiple occasions previously to this, but I wasn't able to find out a lot of detail.
Not even Copilot could get me any reliable information about the previous winners of the trophy.
However, what I did know was that this evening's winners would be set to face the winner of the second semi-final (to be played on Feb 26th), between Brinklow and Shilton.
Phoenix got to this stage by means of a bye followed by a 2-0 defeat of Claverdon. Then, in the quarter-final, they put out Glades 3-2. Wardens also received a bye in the first round. They then beat Polesworth 2-0 and Coventry United u21 1-0.
Both teams play in the Coventry Alliance Premier League. Phoenix are currently in fourth place with 19 points from 12 games. Kenilworth are two places lower, having secured 11 points from their 12 games. They've met twice int he league already. Coventry won 2-1 at home with goals from Blake Kassar and Tyler Morgan. Thys Palmer scored for Wardens. In the reverse fixture Kenilworth exacted revenge with a 2-0 win courtesy of Dan Twigger and Hayden Twycross.
Wardens, kicking down the slight slope away from the clubhouse end, started the game strongly. They'd already showed plenty on intent when, after 8 minutes, they took the lead. Ben Edmunds had the initial strike at goal, from a narrow angle. His effort was pushed out by the Phoenix goalkeeper but only as far as Dan Twigger, who took a touch before lashing it home. 0-1.
Phoenix tried to respond to going behind but were struggling to find any cohesion. Their number 7 flashed a shot narrowly wide on 19 minutes, but that was as close as they came to equalising. Then, almost on the midway point of the first half, they found themselves two down. It was Dan Twigger again, sliding in to tap home at the far post after a right-wing cross had been intelligently flicked on into the danger zone. 0-2. Six minutes later it was three for Wardens and three for Dan Twigger, as the striker claimed a 20 minute hat-trick. A lovely through ball found the striker through the middle. He shrugged off a challenge before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner. 0-3
Phoenix were visibly shaken by the onslaught from Kenilworth but, for how good Wardens looked, Phoenix were giving the ball back to them way too often. This was very plainly in evidence after 34 minutes when a woefully stray Phoenix ball, inside their own half, fell too Ben Edmunds some 25 yards out. The Wardens winger took a few steps forward before planting a low drive across the keeper and in off the far post. 0-4
If that wasn't enough, only three more minutes passed before Wardens went even further in front. There was a distinct piece of luck bout this goal as the first effort was deflected which wrong-footed the Phoenix goalkeeper. The ball hit the foot of his left-hand post before spinning back across goal where Jack Boden was on hand to prod the ball over the line. 0-5
Credit to Phoenix for continuing to battle hard to get the ball up field, even though they were clearly shell-shocked. Just on the stroke of half-time, they were denied what, at first sight, looked to be a nailed on penalty, at least from my viewpoint which was admittedly at the opposite end of the ground. Their number 10 burst into the box before going down under a challenge that appeared like a shove in the back. The Phoenix players and bench clearly agreed with my view but the person that really counted, the referee, was of the opposite opinion, not only denying the appeals but showing a yellow card to the Phoenix player, presumably for simulation. In all fairness, the referee was a lot closer than I or the Phoenix bench were, but it looked to be a harsh yellow.
HT Coventry Phoenix 0 Kenilworth Wardens 5. An excellent half for Wardens who have no doubt played very well. They've also been helped along the way by some sloppy play from Phoenix. Interestingly, the last, and only other, time I was at this ground, the score was 0-5 at half-time.
Phoenix tried to respond to going behind but were struggling to find any cohesion. Their number 7 flashed a shot narrowly wide on 19 minutes, but that was as close as they came to equalising. Then, almost on the midway point of the first half, they found themselves two down. It was Dan Twigger again, sliding in to tap home at the far post after a right-wing cross had been intelligently flicked on into the danger zone. 0-2. Six minutes later it was three for Wardens and three for Dan Twigger, as the striker claimed a 20 minute hat-trick. A lovely through ball found the striker through the middle. He shrugged off a challenge before calmly slotting the ball into the bottom corner. 0-3
Phoenix were visibly shaken by the onslaught from Kenilworth but, for how good Wardens looked, Phoenix were giving the ball back to them way too often. This was very plainly in evidence after 34 minutes when a woefully stray Phoenix ball, inside their own half, fell too Ben Edmunds some 25 yards out. The Wardens winger took a few steps forward before planting a low drive across the keeper and in off the far post. 0-4
If that wasn't enough, only three more minutes passed before Wardens went even further in front. There was a distinct piece of luck bout this goal as the first effort was deflected which wrong-footed the Phoenix goalkeeper. The ball hit the foot of his left-hand post before spinning back across goal where Jack Boden was on hand to prod the ball over the line. 0-5
Credit to Phoenix for continuing to battle hard to get the ball up field, even though they were clearly shell-shocked. Just on the stroke of half-time, they were denied what, at first sight, looked to be a nailed on penalty, at least from my viewpoint which was admittedly at the opposite end of the ground. Their number 10 burst into the box before going down under a challenge that appeared like a shove in the back. The Phoenix players and bench clearly agreed with my view but the person that really counted, the referee, was of the opposite opinion, not only denying the appeals but showing a yellow card to the Phoenix player, presumably for simulation. In all fairness, the referee was a lot closer than I or the Phoenix bench were, but it looked to be a harsh yellow.
HT Coventry Phoenix 0 Kenilworth Wardens 5. An excellent half for Wardens who have no doubt played very well. They've also been helped along the way by some sloppy play from Phoenix. Interestingly, the last, and only other, time I was at this ground, the score was 0-5 at half-time.
The Phoenix coaches kept the team out on the side of the pitch during the break whereas Kenilworth and the officials retired to the warmth of the changing rooms. Punishment for the first-half display maybe?
Maybe the dressing down at half-time did the trick because it was clear from early on in the second period that Phoenix were determined to give a better second half display. Having said that, with seven minutes of the half gone, they could and probably should have found themselves six down. Wardens, now sitting a little deeper, hit Phoenix on the break as Edmunds burst down the right flank. He then rolled the ball across to Jack Boden, 15 yards out, but he lifted his effort over the top.
Maybe Wardens were now siting back on their five goal lead. Maybe Phoenix really had stepped up their efforts. Most likely, a combination of the two but, whatever the case, the game was now being played more inside the Wardens half that at any other time. That said, the Kenilworth defence was coping very well, restricting Phoenix to very few goal attempts. When one did come, Wardens keeper displayed his agility by tipping a header over the bar. To run salt in the wound, Wardens immediately broke up the other end and Dan Twigger once more showed his finishing ability with a controlled effort past the goalkeeper. 0-6.
Phoenix continued to push for a consolation and with just under 20 minutes remaining they won a free-kick wide on the left, just outside the penalty area. The ball was delivered deep toward the far post, eluding everyone and clattering back off the far post but, just as had a happened with the previous Phoenix close call, Wardens broke free again, Twigger beating the offside trap to calmly slot past the advancing keeper for 0-7.
The remaining minutes saw Phoenix pressing for a late consolation and Wardens defending deep in an effort to avoid conceding. This they did well until the very last minute when a Phoenix corner from the left was headed home from close range. 1-7
That should have been the end of it but the most controversial passage of play was still to come in a somewhat controversial end to the game. Although, in the grand scheme, it made little difference to the outcome of the game. Phoenix were laying siege to the Wardens goal and appeared to have an effort cross the line. The assistant appeared to be flagging for a goal but the referee blew up the end of the game much to the displeasure of the Phoenix team.
As I write this blog the score is showing differently depending on which Full-Time site you look at. The Nursing Football Association site rads 2-7, the Coventry Alliance site reads 2-7.
Update: Both sites now state the final score as 2-7, so that's what I am going with.
FT Coventry Phoenix 2 Kenilworth Wardens 7 Kenilworth's first-half display had the game in the bag before half-time. Phoenix certainly performed much better in the second period, but they were never going to make up the five goal deficit inside 45 minutes. Wardens will know face either Brinklow or Shilton in the final.
The sides will meet again on Saturday, this time at The Alan Higgs Centre, in the quarter-final of the Stan Oulds Cup. Phoenix are the current holders of the trophy and will be looking to avenge this evening's result whilst trying to retain their title.
Unfortunately I didn't have team sheets. I managed to piece together the Wardens scorers from numbers cross-reffed to Full-Time. If/when the Phoenix stats are upload, I'll try to add some player names and maybe even verify the final score. You can also read the match report from Kenilworth Nub News
Kenilworth Wardens: Boden, Bradley, Cockburn, Day, Edmunds, Kingston, Richards, Twigger, Twycross, Waters, Bloomer. Subs: Grant, Hnat, Winston, Wright
Ground Number: Re-visit
Att:
Entrance: £3.00
Programme: N/A
Maybe the dressing down at half-time did the trick because it was clear from early on in the second period that Phoenix were determined to give a better second half display. Having said that, with seven minutes of the half gone, they could and probably should have found themselves six down. Wardens, now sitting a little deeper, hit Phoenix on the break as Edmunds burst down the right flank. He then rolled the ball across to Jack Boden, 15 yards out, but he lifted his effort over the top.
Maybe Wardens were now siting back on their five goal lead. Maybe Phoenix really had stepped up their efforts. Most likely, a combination of the two but, whatever the case, the game was now being played more inside the Wardens half that at any other time. That said, the Kenilworth defence was coping very well, restricting Phoenix to very few goal attempts. When one did come, Wardens keeper displayed his agility by tipping a header over the bar. To run salt in the wound, Wardens immediately broke up the other end and Dan Twigger once more showed his finishing ability with a controlled effort past the goalkeeper. 0-6.
Phoenix continued to push for a consolation and with just under 20 minutes remaining they won a free-kick wide on the left, just outside the penalty area. The ball was delivered deep toward the far post, eluding everyone and clattering back off the far post but, just as had a happened with the previous Phoenix close call, Wardens broke free again, Twigger beating the offside trap to calmly slot past the advancing keeper for 0-7.
The remaining minutes saw Phoenix pressing for a late consolation and Wardens defending deep in an effort to avoid conceding. This they did well until the very last minute when a Phoenix corner from the left was headed home from close range. 1-7
That should have been the end of it but the most controversial passage of play was still to come in a somewhat controversial end to the game. Although, in the grand scheme, it made little difference to the outcome of the game. Phoenix were laying siege to the Wardens goal and appeared to have an effort cross the line. The assistant appeared to be flagging for a goal but the referee blew up the end of the game much to the displeasure of the Phoenix team.
As I write this blog the score is showing differently depending on which Full-Time site you look at. The Nursing Football Association site rads 2-7, the Coventry Alliance site reads 2-7.
Update: Both sites now state the final score as 2-7, so that's what I am going with.
FT Coventry Phoenix 2 Kenilworth Wardens 7 Kenilworth's first-half display had the game in the bag before half-time. Phoenix certainly performed much better in the second period, but they were never going to make up the five goal deficit inside 45 minutes. Wardens will know face either Brinklow or Shilton in the final.
The sides will meet again on Saturday, this time at The Alan Higgs Centre, in the quarter-final of the Stan Oulds Cup. Phoenix are the current holders of the trophy and will be looking to avenge this evening's result whilst trying to retain their title.
Unfortunately I didn't have team sheets. I managed to piece together the Wardens scorers from numbers cross-reffed to Full-Time. If/when the Phoenix stats are upload, I'll try to add some player names and maybe even verify the final score. You can also read the match report from Kenilworth Nub News
Kenilworth Wardens: Boden, Bradley, Cockburn, Day, Edmunds, Kingston, Richards, Twigger, Twycross, Waters, Bloomer. Subs: Grant, Hnat, Winston, Wright
Ground Number: Re-visit
Att:
Entrance: £3.00
Programme: N/A
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